Didi Hamann names the team that will deny Arsenal the Champions League

Didi Hamann has warned Arsenal the Premier League title race is ‘far from over’ and believes they could also fall short in the Champions League.

Arsenal are on the verge of a sensational season with a historic quadruple still an outside possibility for Mikel Arteta’s team.

The Gunners, who have not won the Premier League since 2004, are five points clear of second-placed Manchester City with 11 games remaining.

Arsenal are already preparing for the knockout stages of the Champions League having topped the group stage with a flawless record of eight straight wins.

Arteta’s first chance to secure some silverware this season will come next month when Arsenal face title rivals Man City in the Carabao Cup final.

Arsenal also have aspirations of winning the FA Cup, with a fourth-round win over Wigan Athletic earning the Gunners a fifth-round clash with League One side Mansfield Town.

Arteta’s priority following three successive second-place finishes is surely the Premier League and Arsenal got their title charge back on track on Sunday, thumping north London rivals Tottenham 4-1.

The Gunners are still only five points ahead of Man City, however, and Pep Guardiola’s team have both a game in hand and a home match against Arsenal to close the gap further.

‘For the Arsenal players, they haven’t been Premier League champions,’ Hamann told Thunderpick. ‘And unless you do it, you don’t know you’re capable of doing it.

‘So, I think there will be a few edgy moments. But, I think they probably watched Man City beat Liverpool, I think it would have been a huge blow to them, but it makes a big difference to go from losing the game to winning it in four or five minutes.

‘I think it’s far from over, even though I don’t think City are great. It’s not the City we used to see, but they find a way of winning games and they know how to win the league.

‘They know how to win titles because they’ve got some Premier League winners in the ranks. So yeah, I think it’s game on.’

Arsenal will face either Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund or Atalanta in the Champions League last-16, with the full knockout draw set to be made on Friday.

The seedings mean Arsenal can not meet Bayern Munich before the final and Hamann believes that is good news for Arteta as he would ‘slightly favour’ the Bundesliga leaders in that potential showdown.

Arsenal beat Bayern 3-1 back in November in the group stages of the Champions League but were knocked out of the tournament by the German giants two years ago.

Asked whether Bayern Munich could be the team to deny Arsenal in Europe, Hamann added: ‘Usually in the past, they have always got the better of Arsenal.

‘So, I think that was one of the reasons why Arsenal was desperate to show them earlier in the season, you know, this year is our year.

‘If you want to come back and maybe beat us in the knockout stages, you’re in for a game. It’s a bit similar to what Bayern Munich wanted to show to PSG, because they played a fantastic game in Paris, a man down, still won the game.

‘But Bayern hasn’t been the same team since. Since PSG, the performances haven’t been that dominant. They still won games.

‘Obviously, they’ve dropped a few points in the league as well. So Bayern Munich are not firing as they did in the autumn.

‘If they do get back to their form, which I’m not too sure about, I would favour Bayern Munich over two games. But it would be a fantastic game because obviously the first game was breathtaking.

‘Obviously, they can only play in the final now with the draw. I’d slightly favour Bayern Munich, but I don’t think we’ll get a final Bayern Munich against Arsenal.’

Arsenal’s next assignment is a Premier League clash against London rivals and Club World Cup champions Chelsea on Sunday.

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.